Coast Guard to add 150 jobs

KEARNEYSVILLE – The U.S. Coast Guard Operations System Center, located in Kearneysville, has been granted a $15.9 million expansion, according to a press release from the office of Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.

The expansion will occur in the Burr Business Park, where the Jefferson County Development Authority will lease about 40,000 square feet to the organization. John Reisenweber, of the JCDA, said the expansion is good news for the county’s economy.

“Our community is so grateful for (Sen. Rockefeller’s) assistance in finally getting this expansion off the ground,” Reisenweber said in a statement. “This reinforces the fact that Jefferson County is a great place to do business.”

The Burr Business Park is located off Wiltshire Road, near the Bardane exit of W.Va. 9.

The expansion project will add 150 new jobs to the area and start a reduction in the center’s operation costs, according to the press release.

“Jefferson County is going to get a long-awaited economic boost,” said Rockefeller in the release. “This expansion will make sure the center can continue providing top notch support for the Coast Guard.”

The expansion will relieve overcrowding at the current facility, which consists of one main campus and two additional annexes, once it opens next fall, according to the press release.

The OSC was established in 1991, at which time 45 full-time staff members supported five mission-critical systems, according to the OSC website. There are currently more than 550 full-time staff members who operate, maintain, develop and provide user support for more than 50 information systems.